When you're vegan, you expect to face certain challenges in your life. And they're pretty easy to identify: how to get enough protein, how to dine out, how to navigate a dinner party or backyard BBQ and, of course, how to explain to your mother that you will not, in fact, wither away into nothingness because there are no animal products in your diet. Ok, so maybe we don't all face every single one of those challenges, but I know I have some stories about a few of them and whether you're vegan, vegetarian or just veg-curious, I'm sure you do as well.

For many years, I've gone about my merry vegan way with nary a thought to other possible food-related issues. Until now. Recently, I've been suffering from some symptoms that seemed random until I talked with my best friend about them in depth. She asked if I'd ever been tested for Celiac disease - you know, a wheat/gluten allergy. I haven't. I never even considered that some of my troubles could possibly be related to gluten. After doing a little homework on the matter and counting up the symptoms, I decided I should investigate further.

I scheduled an appointment with my favorite medical professional, which I suggest anyone do anytime they think they have a health problem or condition. But the appointment is not until next week, so in the meantime, I decided to do a little experiment: go gluten-free and see what happens.

Today is Day 4. I'm not going to get into the nitty gritty details about my symptoms and how I feel today, but I do want to let you in on a little secret I've learned. Gluten-free meals don't have to suck. There, I said it. It's out there. Now I have to prove it to you, right?

That's where this recipe comes in. This is the first in what I hope will be a pretty good series of gluten-free vegan masterpieces. Of course, you can modify this recipe to make it all gluten-full but it's delicious this way as well. Promise. Just look at it. Isn't it gorgeous?



Best Vegan & Gluten-Free Baked Mac & Cheese
Yield: 4 servings

8oz Trader Joe's Brown Rice Fusilli pasta (or any pasta type/shape of your choice)
2 Tbsp Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
1/4 c chickpea flour (or any GF flour of your choice)
1 3/4 c boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp gluten-free tamari (I used San-J brand)
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard (optional, but I love it)
1/2 tsp dried granulated garlic
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 Tbsp arrowroot powder (or 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp water)
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 c nutritional yeast flakes (the large ones)
Add-ons (optional): wild mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, green bell peppers

Cook pasta for approx 6-7 minutes until slightly underdone. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350°F and lightly oil a baking dish.

In a small saucepan, melt Earth Balance and add flour. Whisk until combined and cook for one minute. Add about 1/4 cup of boiling water and whisk to combine. Continue to add the water a little at a time, whisking to ensure that your flour mixture doesn't get too lumpy. A few lumps and bumps are not going to cause a problem, so don't go too crazy here.

Add salt, pepper, tamari, garlic, tumeric and paprika. Whisk to combine and increase heat to medium. Whisk in arrowroot powder. Cook 1-2 minutes until sauce begins to thicken to the consistency of pudding. Add nutritional yeast flakes and olive oil, and whisk to combine. Remove from heat.

Pile your cooked pasta into your baking dish and pour over half of the sauce. Use a spoon to mix, making sure that all of the noodlage is coated in sauce. Pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top of the pasta.

Bake 20 minutes, and then broil 3-4 minutes to brown the top. Allow to cool about 10 minutes prior to digging in to avoid melting your mouth.

If you're not into the gluten-free thing, you can substitute wheat pasta for the fusilli, whole wheat flour for chickpea flour and soy sauce for the tamari. Just use the same amounts and your results will be shockingly similar and equally delicious!